I was 4 years old when my uncle came running down to our little house to tell of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Of course I did not understand the significance of the news but I knew it must be important. My dad had been working for about a year in a DuPont defense plant in nearby Pryor; the first regular job he had had in years.
Our family of four children, and my mom and dad were living in a little house my dad had built while on a month’s leave recovering from a case of the mumps. A year later December 7, 1942, he wrote several poems related to the war effort.
I still have the yellowed, fragile sheet of paper on which the poems were written. Let me share one of them. He had a 7th grade education so they were not great works of art but they represented the united effort that those not serving on the battlefield shared with those on the front lines.
“Hitler Tea”
“Adolph Hitler is his name, he is known quite well by all.
And he is sure to get a great surprise when our shells around him fall.
And when our soldiers give him a sup of this delicious tea,
He is sure to feel the power of our democracy.
This ok’ed mix in 2-0-8 will salivate the swine,
And send some cold nerve racking chills up and down his spine.
Then we will shout the jubilee and peace be ours divine,
We will recall the good old days at work upon C Line.”
I remember as a first grader, my teacher letting us out for a time to scrounge the play grounds for any bits of scrap metal, nails, etc., for the war effort. I’m not sure where the results of our efforts wound up, but I’m sure in our young minds we thought we were doing something important.
Our country was united perhaps as never before or since. Those were the days of synthetic tires, rationing of sugar, butter, gasoline and many other products. The speed limit was 35 mph. Victory gardens and war bonds were encouraged. The automotive industry and many other plants were converted into the production of planes, tanks, and other weapons of war.
It is with sadness I compare the atmosphere and feelings of those days with those of today. Not since the Civil War have we been so divided as a nation. Objective truth seems to be lost in the arena of partisan politics, rage, agendas, intolerance, and distrust. Age old values have been discounted; no longer are we able to sit down and discus our points of view without being classified or disrespected.
While in exile in a foreign land, Daniel prayed; “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands.”
He closes his prayer with this cry: “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act. For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” Daniel 9:4, 18b, 19
To comment, email jhm82@outlook or call (580) 772-2311.